Foraging strategies and species interactions of four deep-sea invertebrates from the Northwest Atlantic

Stuckless, Brittney (2020) Foraging strategies and species interactions of four deep-sea invertebrates from the Northwest Atlantic. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This study explored diets, foraging strategies, locomotor behaviours, and competitive dynamics in four abundant bathyal species from the Northwest Atlantic (the sea stars Ceramaster granularis, Hippasteria phrygiana, and Henricia lisa, and the gastropod Buccinum scalariforme). A combination of singleton trials, multi-animal trials, and simulated food fall experiments were conducted under cold, darkened laboratory conditions, using infrared-capable time-lapse recording. Feeding trials showed that scavenging is prevalent in all species studied. Frame-by-frame analysis of locomotor patterns revealed pulsing movement speeds in all species, an unreported but possibly widespread locomotor style for mobile benthic taxa. Multi-animal trials revealed a variety of cooperative and competitive behaviours in the focal species, altered by the number, size, and species identity of competitors. By combining singleton and multi-animal trials, this work provided data about how these species detect and assess potential food sources, and whether they can modify their foraging strategies or behaviour in competitive settings.

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